Sharon, big respect, as they say! You are a strong lady. Don’t know when I’ll start my rads, on hold until I see the genetics team. If I do have to have it, my hospital is also 30 miles away and The parking is a nightmare. I can’t drive at the moment. OH has a heart condition and I won’t put him thro the stress of the return journey and parking hassles for 3 weeks. The hospital have said they will lay transport on with their volunteer drivers, such a relief. Hugs to all x
Hi ladies,
Babtastic you’ve had a horrible time of it, how on earth you’ve managed to stay sane through all of that is beyond me but it just proves that us humans are incredibly resilient! Hopefully this bit of the treatment will be plain sailing for you so it’ll be great to hear from you as you go along.
Fuffs I’m glad to hear they’ve sorted out some transport for you and I hope they’ve managed to do the same for Loubyloo (Lynne) who has a difficult journey in Devon - bless those volunteers. The treatment is tiring enough without the added pressure of transport difficulties (I love being able to rely on the London tube, makes it all easy for me).
Thanks for all your kind words ladies, as always you pick me up when I am down and I don’t think I would cope without you all. I am truly grateful to have found you, you are all marvellous! I’m finding radiotherapy a bit more of an emotional challenge than I was expecting and I’ve been trying to work out why (THIS is why it’s not a good idea to be awake in the early hours!). I think it stems from going to the hospital everyday and sitting nose to nose with other radiotherapy patients, for hours sometimes, as we wait on machines, and none of us are looking our best. I think a lot of the patients are having head/neck radiotherapy judging from the redness and unshaved faces (seems to be lots of men in the waiting areas) and there have been some children there too with very obvious signs of chemo treatment so it has brought home to me how serious and miserable cancer can be in its various forms. Up to now the only other patients I’ve met have been in the breast clinic and very few had obvious signs of cancer. Hopefully recognising what is making me feel low/emotional will help me to avoid meltdowns in future 
I think it is a big week coming up for a lot of us - if I’ve got it right I think Cheryl starts radio tomorrow, Rose on Tuesday and Babtastic on Thursday so good luck to you all, let us know how you get on. I think Sunflower has her planning session tomorrow, Happy Wanderer on Wednesday and Pandorra on Thursday so I’ll look forward to swapping notes on tattoos with you all 
xx
Sharon
Thank you for your thoughts sharon, will report in hopefully after planning appt. I can relate to your emotional plunge, it awakens another level when I think we dont realise there is more! Rose, are you attending Queens in essex. That is where I go. Let me know, be good to meet up. To all, I wish you you a great week whatever you are having to face, look forward to hearing updates. Lol xxxxxx
Hi Lynne, please do join in, it’s great to hear from you
My boob had just started to settle after the surgery so the swelling had gone but now I’m 7 sessions in, it has swollen again and is definitely more tender, lumpy and prone to the odd twanging sensation. So much so that I have been taking my bra off at every possible opportunity over the weekend as it is more comfortable that way (and I’m a 30F(!!!) or at least I was before I started a recent comfort eating binge, probably a 36F by now!)
I’m not overly worried about the effects of the treatment because, as Rose says, the benefits of it are so high in terms of preventing recurrence that it is worth the risk of side effects. I don’t really like the whole ‘half naked on the couch and stretched out while a camera watches me from above like I’m in a bad porn movie’ thing though, it just makes me feel a bit vulnerable and, I think, a bit violated. Sounds dramatic I know and even I’m surprised by how much I dislike it as I didn’t think I’d care after months and months of flashing my boobs at all and sundry. I’ll be SOOOOO glad when this is over.
I’ll send some good thoughts your way for when you get your ovary results, must be worrying for you but like all these things, the sooner you know what it is, the sooner you can deal with it. Do let us know how you get on
xx
Sharon
Hi Cheryl, hope you’ve had a fantastic holiday? Bit of a downer to have to come back I imagine!
I’m glad your first session went well and the radiotherapy staff are really lovely aren’t they, and having staff who seem to care about how you are feeling makes all the difference. I forgot to ask where you were being treated but assume it is somewhere in Herts?
I had 8/25 today and boob is well and truly baking now - swelling all over the shop and is now bigger than the untreated boob by quite some way. I wonder if we get stretchmarks from all the shrinking and swelling that they do in such a short space of time
By the way, if anybody is in or around London and can get tickets, I highly recommend the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the V&A, it’s marvellous. I wouldn’t even consider wearing any of his clothes (and couldn’t anyway as I’m only 5ft 1) but each creation was a work of art.
xx
Sharon
Hurrah for holidays, time to start thinking about where you want to go next
I’m doing fine thanks, the radiotherapists are keeping a close eye on my skin so I know they’ll refer me to someone if they think it needs to be checked. I did ask them about it today and they said it was just inflammation from the radiation and isn’t uncommon and, since it doesn’t hurt at all, I’m not worried. And you’re right of course, stretch marks are the least of our worries!
xx
Sharon
Hi all, I had my 13th rad. of 15 today so 2 more to go, no skin issues yet but that might come later, I feel the same as others in this thread, my diagnosis was stage 1 BC, no lymph node spread, had a lumpectomy & prescribed anastrazole for 5 yrs, plus 15 Rads. I recovered fine from the op but was dreading starting the radiotherapy, I was quite low today, its getting to me seeing very ill people at the Rad clinics, alot of men with prostrate cancer some of them having 6 wks of Rad, lots of little children, brings it home to you doesn’t it. I have an added issue after this is over as when I had the MRI for the BC they found a lump on my lung so I was referred to the chest clinic and after a lung biopsy under a local they said its a benign neuroendocrine tumour which they say needs to come out so will be having another op for that soon. Good luck all with the rest of your rads.
Hi EastAnglian, lovely to hear from you but sorry you’ve got yet another step to go after the rads & hormones, must be mentally exhausting never mind the physical trauma of it all.
Have you had any reaction at all to the rads so far? Not even a bit of pinkness? If not you seem to be very lucky in that respect at least or have you found some miracle cream that you can tip us off about? I’m only on 8/25 and already have quite a reaction so dread to think what sort of state I’m going to be in when I’m through. But, as you so rightly say, even if I end up with my skin in a mess it is nothing compared to some of the poor people I see in the department everyday. There were two very young children in today who’ve obviously had chemo already - makes your heart ache for them doesn’t it and heaven knows how difficult it must be for a parent to see their little ones like that.
I’ve booked to go to the theatre on Thursday to see Harvey and to the Opera the following week to see Madama Butterfly. Feeling the need for regular treats and I can’t keep on eating this much food or I’ll explode, which won’t be good for the poor mangled boob :smileytongue:
xx
Sharon
Just wondering … I presume that as the Rads are tailored to each patient the dosage varies also, so in my case the tumour size was 8mm so the Rad dosage would be less than for someone with a larger tumour? Would this explain why some people have bad skin reactions while others don’t. Mine is IGRT (image guided) presume that is the standard now?
Hi Fuffs,
I’m in North London too, near Alexandra Palace and although I’m an Essex girl originally (couldn’t you guess from my name? :womanlol:) I’ve been in London for 32 years so consider myself a proper Londoner. The V&A is my favourite spot in London, I’m a member which gives free entrance to the exhibitions and have been to all of their exhibitions for the last few years (almost died of excitement over the Hollywood costumes one - Vivien Leigh’s frocks from Gone With The Wind; Judy Garland’s outfit inc red shoes from The Wizard of Oz; Marilyn Monroe’s famous white dress…oh, it was wonderful!) Went to the Alexander McQueen one on Saturday and loved it. I seem to end up there at least once a month even if only for coffee and a chat with a friend.
Not sure if it helps at all but they didn’t get the required 2mm margins around all of my cancer, at one border it was just 1.5mm but they didn’t say there was any need to reoperate (thank heavens because I’m not sure I could have faced it again after the fiasco of the first one).
xx
Sharon
Hi again ladies - just to report that this evening my skin is now quite pink & hot so finally showing some reaction after 13th session & 2 more to go
Hi ladies,
How is everyone doing? Rose I have started to get tired now although that might be because i wasn’t sleeping very well but certainly nothing you could call fatigue yet. I had session 9/25 today and it was all straightforward again, although I did have a weekly review meeting with a BCN which I wasn’t expecting (another one of those times when I heard ‘oh, someone should have told you about that’ and thought if I had a pound for everytime I heard it I’d be getting rich from this whole experience!). She was lovely though and I was very happy to talk to her and reassured to know I’ll be able to talk to her even after the treatment finishes if I have any concerns.
Skin marginally pinker today and seroma at tumour site has swollen up again but nothing too worrying. As it is practically next door to the hospital I stopped off at the Wellcome Collection on the way home where they have an exhibition on Forensics, including a load of stuff about pathology. Totally fascinating in a gruesome kind of way and, weirdo that I am, it really cheered me up!:womanlol:
Right, off to slather on even more cream before tackling my exercises. Oh, I should have mentioned as well that I’ve noticed the arm on my treated side is stiffening up again. I’d got full movement back post-surgery so I’m keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t get any worse and will be disciplined about doing extra exercise. BCN said that if it doesn’t resolve itself after increasing the exercise a bit she’ll refer me to a doctor…who will tell me to do more exercise!
xx
Sharon
Rose you’ve got my sympathies with the Tamoxifen thing, I saw your other post and it all sounds hideous to me :womanfrustrated: Are you going to stick with it for a while (possibly using a different brand) and see if the side effects sort themselves out?
I’m seeing some sort of doctor once the rads are over to discuss whether or not to take it as the benefits for me are so low that I’m just not sure it is worth it if it means putting up with the side effects that you’ve described. Of course I might not get any side effects so I’m going to try it just to see, but I can’t say I’m looking forward to it
xx
Sharon
Hi Sharon
Ah Ally Pally, my favourite place to have a picnic, wonderful views. My daughter lives in Crouch End. I’m also fascinated with The Wellcome Collection! My aunt was the first ever female consultant pathologist back in the 30s and apparently there is a plaque up in The Royal Free with her name on it. I’m starting to wonder whether the benefits of taking the Anastrazole will be outweighed by the side effects. Just how much does it improve the recurrence rates? It’s not a subject I can broach at home, as the OH gets very worried about me even considering the subject. He just wants me to take everything thrown at me! Wonder if he’d feel the same if it was him?! I’m finding this time more stressful than I thought. Not having the surgery to focus on getting through and jut waiting to see my surgeon on 14th is hard. Had to cancel my rad planning meeting this week, as no point until the surgeon decides whether he wants to do more surgery. Having a real wobble! Hugs to everyone going thro treatment xxFrancine
Aww, so sorry Francine, the waiting is soul-destroying isn’t it as no matter how much you try not to think about it, worst case scenarios keep popping into your head in the early hours of the morning only to vanish in a cloud of positive thinking the next morning before reappearing that night. I think the waiting makes us all go a little bit bonkers and it certainly did for me. I’m surprised you’re having to wait so long to hear whether a second surgery is needed, has your surgeon gone on holiday or something? I thought it was normal to be told about this when they gave you the post-surgery pathology results.
About the hormone treatment, have you looked at the Predict! site yet which lets you put in the data about your tumour and tells you the 5 and 10 year survival rates with and without the hormone treatment? It also gives the same information for chemo. Like Lynne (Loubyloo), the improvement in survival rates for me is very small so my Consultant said it is up to me whether I want to take it or not.
I know Crouch End very well (it’s full of lovely vintage clothes shops so a favourite shopping haunt for me :D) so maybe we’ll bump into each other in one of the gorgeous coffee shops one day and can compare surgery/radiotherapy war stories!
Hope you start to feel a bit better soon but if not, keep coming on here as I’m always up for a good rant/whinge!
xx
Sharon
Hi Rose
Glad to hear today went OK and I agree that all the radiology staff look like teenagers. Bit depressing really as I’m feeling every one of my fifty years and then some at the moment. Shame radiation doesn’t miraculously cure wrinkles and give dewy youthful skin isn’t :womanlol:
You are sounding so low about the Tamoxifen sickness, must be horrible so I admire you for being strong enough to stick it out even for 3 months. I hope it is just a temporary thing for you and eases off but in the meatime, I’ll pootle off to my kitchen to make you some virtual ginger cordial and some virtual crystallised ginger cookies. I’ll fax them over to you in about 30 mins so you have time to dose up before heading off for a good nights sleep.
Take care of yourself
xx
Sharon
Hi Lynne,
Ooh, I’m jealous of your rest day, how often do you get those? I think I have to do every week day (except Good Friday and Easter Monday) with just the weekends off and thought everybody did the same unless they had some sort of skin breakdown that needed to heal. Fingers crossed that all of us get through this without that happening.
The hormone question is a tricky one isn’t it. I’m still planning to take the hormone once I’ve finished radiotherapy but won’t hesitate to stop it if the side effects have too much impact on my quality of life. But you never know, we might be the lucky ones who don’t get any side effects and I know that has happened for a few people who post on these boards.
Enjoy your rest day
xx
Sharon
Hi all, final day of my 15 Rad sessions today, so relieved I’m at the end. I’m on Anastrozole tabs for 5 yrs, hVe been on it for 2 months & no problems so far, they said Tamoxifen not suitable for me as I had a stroke 10 yrs ago. I am looking forward to relaxing & doing something non hospital related. I just got a text from a friend to fix up meeting for lunch, I replied yes please & mentioned this is the final day of my Rad. She texted back all apologetic she hadn’t been in touch she assumed she said that I wad in the clear! I think I didnt get the message out clearly to people whats involved when you have BC, i have found that those ladies who’ve not had it haven’t a clue whats involved & why would they I suppose, you only find out when it happens to you. One of my friends has been absolutely brilliant, coming round all through & took me out to lunch this week too, but she is a radiographer who used to run a BC unit so I suppose thats the difference. However this has left me feeling a bit let down by some friends, but I am going to let it go as I’ve realised its partly due to how I put the message out after my surgery when I said it was all clear, many took that literally, so when I told my cousin I had to have radiotherapy she said why was that as I was in the clear, so I had to explain that althiugh the surgery got it out the Rad was still required.
Woohoo Eastanglian, you’re done at last! How are you doing now? I know you said you were a bit itchy and pinking up a bit halfway through, did that get any worse? A celebratory lunch sounds fab - eat lots of cake on our behalf!
I know what you mean about underplaying it, I did the same with my family and some of my friends because I didn’t want them worrying about me (and, if I’m completely honest, I also didn’t want them thinking I am some kind of wimp because we’re all supposed to be ‘brave’ and stoical aren’t we?!) A couple of good friends and you lovely ladies have been lifesavers in that respect because I can at least be totally honest and talk about all the various concerns and minor issues that worry me, but when family and most friends ask I just say it’s all fine and will soon be over.
xx
Sharon
Hi Sharon